Best Garage Kayak Hoist & Canoe Lift System

RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist Review

Probably the most popular kayak hoist is the RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist and Canoe Lift. People use this for roof boxes all the time. The mechanical kayak hoist is a smart overhead storage option that features an improved strap design and a safety-locking mechanism to keep everything locked down and securely stored overhead. Lots of people are looking to solve overhead storage in their garage for a kayak, roof box, or canoe. This option is safe up to 125lbs, and cheap!

RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist Special Features

Redesigned straps The major highlight feature on the RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist is easily the new and improved strap design. It represents a major leap forward in engineering by redistributing weight so that weak hooks are simply not going to be a problem anymore. With the new straps, you can easily hoist a kayak up to 125lbs with not only confidence, but ease.

Non-scratch The hooks themselves have also gotten a facelift with the addition of rubber coating, which prevents scratches, protecting your property, and prolonging the lifespan of the hooks themselves. Safe-locking mechanism

The safe-locking mechanism ensures you can’t accidentally trigger the release mechanism. This is ideal for when you’re hoisting up a particularly heavy kayak. Additionally, you don’t have to worry about the kayak disengaging and falling when it’s stored overhead. The safe-locking mechanism is not only a safety feature, but improves overall ease of use.

Ceiling height capacity The RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist is designed to hoist and hold kayaks on ceilings up to 12 feet, so even those with high-ceilinged garages aren’t going to be left out.

Customer reviews The big takeaway from consumer reviews regarding the RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist is that most are definitely happy with the product overall. For instance, it does make hoisting incredibly easy, and it’s a very practical overhead storage option. That said, even those customers who felt positively towards the hoist also talked about making modifications. The rope is the biggest reason for this, as well as the poorly executed instruction manual. However, since setup is so easy, most folks find that modifying the hoist to fit their needs is pretty easy.

Where the rope isn’t so well-liked, the straps definitely come into the rescue to save the day in most cases. People are big fans of the straps on the hooks. You may have to make some adjustments in some cases, but the straps really do hold up well.

It’s important to note that most people are happy with the overhead storage the RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist provides. Once you have it in the storage position, it works very well. Also, not everyone finds the hoisting aspect as finicky as some do. If you’re a handy person, or if you’re good at deciphering poorly-worded directions, you’ll likely fall into the category of people who don’t have any issues with setting up the hoist.

Cons • For kayaks slippage has been an issue; some users have modified their setup to prevent this; to prevent slipping, you’re required to balance both ends of your kayak, which may require troubleshooting on your part. Canoe and roof boxes don’t tend to have this issue.

• The hoist comes with one very long piece of rope that you’re required to cut to fit your needs; some customers would rather multiple pieces where sent for better versatility. Of course rope is not exactly expensive and this seems kinda picky for a under $30 product.

• Fishing Kayaks tend to run heavy, at 125 lbs capacity this lift is not suitable for all of them. Check your load and consider everything else you’ll have in the boat, not just the spec.

Value The overwhelming consensus is that the RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist is definitely worth the money for what it offers. For starters, it doesn’t just hoist kayaks; you can also use it to hoist ladders, roof boxes, adn more, which adds plenty of extra utility. From a kayak-only standpoint, the fact that it can accommodate kayaks up to 125lbs is ideal, because many kayakers start out with 60lb to 80lb kayaks and may opt for a more robust kayak once they become serious about the hobby. The bottom line is, the hoist should be able to see you through any kayak upgrade you might acquire in the future, and when you factor in ease of use, compared with competitors, it’s a bargain.

Conclusion The RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist makes hoisting your kayak for overhead storage a piece of cake. There is a slight learning curve, but it’s not too difficult to get the hang of. The safety-locking mechanism is a true work of genius and greatly improves the ease of use when it comes to preventing accidental disengagement. Overall, the RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist does the job and provides plenty of ease of use features to make the process of overhead kayak or ladder storage easier.

Fixed Wall Hangers for Kayaks & Roofboxes If you’re looking for a fixed to the wall option, you’d be well-served by the well built large Rhino-Rack Wall Hanger which is rated to 176lbs. It’s not as versatile as the RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist, but it can be a very good option for those with wall mount needs. For some reason their Amazon listing was redone and now has no reviews, but this is a well regarded unit. For a cheaper and lightweight option try the RAD Sportz Kayak Wall Hangers, but they only go to 100lbs. Be careful with the fixed hangers, a lot of them are frankly garbage and don’t go over 100lbs. Even the RAD version isn’t great as 100 lbs just isn’t much weight.

Upgrade For those looking for a more heavy-duty overhead storage option, you can’t go wrong with the Thule MultiLift. The big thing that separates it apart from the RAD Sportz Kayak Hoist is its weight capacity, which is a whopping 220lbs. Because of the capacity it’s also more versatile when it comes to what it’s capable of lifting; for instance your roof box, kayak, or canoe plus all the gear you leave in there. We all do it.. Price it out now on amazon.

Video Review and Installation Guide:

The Brady’s have a down to earth walk through of installing this in a garage for a canoe.

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About Me

I started using roof boxes to get gear to trailheads, slopes, and backcountry since college, and I guess I just kept on going. This site is just passing on some of what I’ve figured out over the years, (like deals on UK vs US Amazon) and sometimes an excuse to buy new gear and test it! - Logan div>